


Remind Me Never to Make You Angry Again

by MyOxIsBroken



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Awesome Donna Noble, Donna is a Badass, F/M, Fluff, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 19:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18372482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyOxIsBroken/pseuds/MyOxIsBroken
Summary: When the Doctor is captured by a fierce race of warrior women on a matriarchal planet where men have no power, it is up to Donna to fight for his freedom.





	Remind Me Never to Make You Angry Again

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Basmathgirl and shadowolf17 for beta reading!

The Doctor had made a rookie mistake, and now he could have kicked himself, if only he wasn’t kneeling on the hard ground with his hands restrained behind his back and a gag in his mouth, preventing him from protesting. He had thought that Donna might enjoy visiting a planet with a matriarchal society, “girl power” and all that. 

And she probably would have, if he hadn’t forgotten that the planet of Persephone went through a very brutal period where men weren’t just subject to the rule and authority of the women on the planet, but they were all enslaved and treated as chattel. He realised he had landed them shortly before that period in their history had ended, rather than a few years later when the women were in control but had started to view the men as possible helpmates and beings worthy of respect.

He had run out of the TARDIS doors as soon as they landed, excited to introduce Donna to another new world, one that was lush and green and full of tropical plants and trees. He had stopped short when confronted by a semicircle of female warriors with their spears extended towards him. He only had time enough to turn and slam the TARDIS doors behind himself on an indignant squawk from Donna, who had not been far behind, before they grabbed him and started to drag him off through the jungle to their leader. The TARDIS had locked the doors upon closing, and he was grateful to her for protecting Donna. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about her safety while he figured out a way to talk himself out of this.

He half-stumbled and was half-dragged to the palace and into its throne room, where he was unceremoniously deposited onto the stone floor in front of an imposing figure seated high above. He started to look up so that he could see who sat in judgment over him, but he felt a blow to the back of his head and a harsh voice behind him said, “Lower your eyes, insect! You are not worthy to gaze upon the great General Demeter.”

On second thought, keeping his head bowed suddenly seemed like a good idea. In a voice that he hoped would be viewed as submissive, he asked,“I humbly beg your forgiveness, General Demeter. I do not desire to offend you and offer you my deepest apologies for any offences I may have already caused.” The Doctor held his breath and waited for her response, hoping another blow to the head wasn’t going to follow.

“I accept your apology and do not believe that you intended any offence,” said the general. The Doctor began to let out the breath he was holding until she followed with, “However, you have broken one of our most foundational laws. Men are not permitted to roam unaccompanied on this planet, whether they are visitors or not. The penalty for breaking this law is 10 years of enslavement. If you have conducted yourself in a worthy manner during that time, you will then be freed and allowed to return to your home.”

Her words felt like a punch to the Doctor’s chest, knocking the air out of his lungs and causing his hearts to skip a beat. At least the penalty wasn’t death - he’d had that pronouncement far too many times, although it hadn’t yet stuck. But he was still struggling to figure out how he was going to get himself out of this situation when the general spoke again.

“Take him away. Hestia is in need of a new servant. Her last one is of no use to her any longer. He is weak and useless. This one looks to be in his prime and should be able to serve her well.”

The guards who were nearest the Doctor lifted him to his feet, removing his jacket and, with it, his sonic screwdriver. There went the possibility of using it to get out of any temporary holding cell. His options were rapidly narrowing as they pulled his arms behind his back, binding them together tightly, then tied a gag around his mouth. Arms bound, no sonic, unable to use his words to talk his way out - what was he going to do?

Movement at the doorway to the throne room caught his eye. “General, a woman approaches. She is a stranger to our society but claims that she is with this...man,” the guard said, sneering.

The Doctor panicked. The Doctor watched the doorway, waiting for his ponytailed companion to walk through and to possible doom.

Instead, his eyes were met with an astounding vision. It was Donna, but not Donna, at all. It could only have been a few minutes before she followed him out of the TARDIS, but Donna had somehow transformed herself into a fierce-looking warrior. She had donned the same uniform that Demeter’s guards were wearing, a short linen tunic topped by a leather corset that extended into a segmented skirt that provided protection to her lower torso. She was wearing leather arm cuffs and had a knife sheath strapped to her thigh, but it was empty. Leather boots extended just past her knees and seemed to move with her legs, rather than constrict them. She carried a shield, but she kept it lowered.

The helmet she was wearing was similar to a tiara, but thicker and much stronger. It would help provide protection to her head while allowing her to still have a full range of vision. And her ginger hair flowed around it in wild waves, making her look like an animal on the prowl. He had never seen her look so formidable. Every choice she’d made in what she put on and what she left behind showed that she was walking into the situation as someone who was prepared for battle, but who wasn’t seeking one out. She had no weapons, only things to protect herself.

The Doctor watched as Donna walked the path to the throne. She looked neither to the right nor to the left, keeping her eyes on Demeter, in spite of the menacing guards lining the hall. The Doctor knew that the Persephoneans would see this as a sign of her bravery, authority, and skill as a combatant, but did Donna know that? And was she prepared for the possible consequences of her actions?

He watched as she approached a spot near the front of the hall and then stopped. She sank down to one knee, kneeling. Her hand in a fist, she brought her arm up across her chest and held it against herself, saluting in the manner of the women of Persephone. She bowed her head and waited for Demeter to address her, also in the custom of the Persephoneans. , the Doctor wondered. He himself had forgotten in his panic to properly address the general, which hadn’t done him any favors.

“Rise, honourable warrior. Tell me your name and what brings you before me today,” said Demeter.

Donna stood and looked at the general, making sure to keep a neutral look on her face. “Thank you for granting me an audience, General Demeter. I am Donna of Chiswick. You have something that belongs to me, and I would like it back,” she said, tilting her head a fraction of an inch towards where the Doctor was standing.

The Doctor’s hearts warmed a bit at hearing her say he belonged to her, even though he knew she was performing for the benefit of those around her.

“Your slave violated our laws. He belongs to us now and must fulfill his sentence of 10 years in service to the planet of Persephone in atonement,” answered Demeter.

Donna knew she had to tread carefully, but she wasn’t about to just say, “Oh, alright then, that’s fine. Be back in 10, Doctor!” and abandon him to a decade of mistreatment. “Benevolent General Demeter, I would ask you to reconsider. Surely there is something I can do to regain my property,” she responded.

Demeter considered this woman who stood before her. She could see what looked to be a bit of fear behind her eyes, but she nevertheless stood tall and brave in the face of what must be intimidating circumstances, entering unarmed into a hall of fellow warriors just to retrieve a slave, even though she probably had several others. This one must be important to her for some reason. Demeter was impressed by her courage and her persistence and wanted to give her a chance, but she did not wish to make it too easy.

“Very well. I have a proposal for you. You may battle for him against one of my fighters. The weapon will be up to you. No need to fight until the death, but you’ll continue until victory is clear. I will determine when that is. Should you emerge victorious, you may take your slave and go unharmed. But if you should lose, he will serve 20 years instead of 10.”

Donna swallowed and then, at last, looked at the Doctor. It caused her heart to squeeze painfully when she saw him. She could see that he was trying to stay calm and watched as he ever so slightly shook his head back and forth. She knew that he didn’t want her to take the risk and would rather stay and serve his sentence than to put her in this kind of danger. But she also could see the pain already clouding his eyes and knew that 10 years here would be misery. And there was no way she was going to abandon her best friend to that.

Looking back at Demeter, she said, “I accept your proposal.”

One of the guards led Donna over to a cabinet. She opened the doors and Donna looked at the weapons inside. The Doctor could only glimpse a few of the items, but what he saw caused his stomach to drop. There were long swords, sharp daggers, and something that looked like nunchucks among the choices. Donna’s eyes shifted to the left and she indicated whatever was hidden behind the door, making her selection.

She turned to the general and said, “Before we begin, I would like to have a few minutes alone with he who belongs to me, that I may examine him and ensure that there is no permanent damage.” 

The general nodded her head in assent, and the guards led Donna and the Doctor to a room at the back of the throne room, underneath the dais where the throne itself sat. After checking Donna for weapons, they left the two of them alone, closing the door behind them.

“We don’t have much time, I’m sure,” Donna said, her fingers speedily untying the Doctor’s gag. “Are you alright?”

“No lasting harm done. But why did you follow me? HOW did you follow me? How did you even know where I was, and how did you get here so quickly, dressed like that?” The Doctor was full of questions, but Donna knew the guards would be back as soon as they thought she’d had enough time to examine him. She didn’t think they would give her more than 3 minutes, maybe 4. She spoke fast.

“After the TARDIS doors slammed and locked, I ran to the screen to see what was happening and watched as you got dragged off. I thought I’d better know what I was getting myself into, so I asked the TARDIS to show me anything I really needed to know about the people of Persephone. She’s the one who told me about the general and how to approach her. She’s the one who pulled this out of the wardrobe for me and talked me into wearing it. I feel like flippin’ Wonder Woman. I don’t know if I should feel embarrassed or empowered, but honestly, it’s a bit of both. Then when I was ready, I piloted her closer and landed her just a few minutes after you’d arrived.”

The Doctor was astounded that Donna had been such a quick study when it came to piloting the TARDIS. But he was even more astounded that the TARDIS would send their Donna into such a dangerous situation like this. “I don’t want you to do this, Donna. I know they said the fight needn’t be to the death,” he said, whispering furiously, “but what if your opponent gets carried away? What if you get internal injuries, and we don’t get you back to the TARDIS in time for treatment? Dressing like a warrior doesn’t mean you’ve turned into one. Please, just let me serve out the sentence, and come back for me. It’ll be like no time at all, I swear.”

Donna could see how worried he was for her. “Don’t worry about me, Time Boy,” she said, her hand fondly stroking his cheek. “I can take care of myself. And if you think I’m going to just up and leave you here, you don’t know me very well. Besides, it’s too late. I’ve already agreed.”

With that, there was a knock at the door. Donna put the Doctor’s gag back in place, but looser this time, and stepped away from him as the door opened, turning to face the guards. They were ushered back out into the hall, where everyone was gathered, waiting for the fight to begin.

******

The woman who Demeter had chosen to fight against Donna was called Alala. She was young but had been in training for years for her role, and she had several battles under her belt already. She was going to be a tough foe for Donna to face, Demeter felt.

Much to the Doctor’s surprise, Donna had chosen quarterstaffs as the weapons to be used. He wasn’t sure why she’d picked them, but at least they didn't have pointy ends that could easily draw blood. They could, however, still do a lot of damage to bones and soft tissue, and they could be deadly when used well in warfare.

Donna stood for a few moments at the side of the area marked out for the battle. She breathed in slowly, held it, then breathed out again just as slowly, keeping her eyes closed and focusing her mind on what she needed to do in order to free the Doctor. She picked up the staff and twirled it with her hands, getting a feel for the weight and how much force she’d need to use to wield it properly and effectively.

She and Alala kept their eyes on one another and gave a short bow, then they began. First they circled each other, looking almost feline in their movements, each woman taking the measure of the other and deciding on the most vulnerable spots. Donna wasn’t going to try to make the first hit. She wanted to wait and see how Alala moved.

Before long, she could see why Demeter had chosen Alala. She might be young, but she was quick and energetic. Alala raised her staff and brought it down towards Donna’s shoulder. Donna was able to hold hers up and block the blow successfully, and she could feel the vibrations shudder along her staff as Alala’s glanced off. For someone who seemed petite, she had some strength behind her movements.

Donna thought back to her training and made an effort to recall the things she’d learned, allowing her body to use muscle movement to help her maneuver. She turned to one side while spinning her quarterstaff, then spun around and swung it at Alala’s head. If she could get in one good blow, she might even be able to bring this to an end rather quickly. But Alala’s reflexes were fast, and she parried the hit, then brought her staff around and made solid contact with Donna’s ribs.

The Doctor would have cried out if he hadn’t been gagged. It was just as well that he couldn’t. He was sure it wouldn’t have helped Donna to hear it and would have only resulted in more abuse to himself as a bonus.

The blow knocked the air out of Donna for a moment and she felt the pain shoot through her side, but she was operating on adrenaline now, so she shook it off and kept moving. The pain was also making her feel even more pissed off than she’d been when she’d seen the shape that the Doctor was in. She knew that she could use that anger to fuel herself.

She went at Alala with a fury, and although Alala was expertly parrying most of her hits and getting in some of her own, she got in a few good ones from the sheer number that she was attempting and the force behind them. It was also keeping Alala from getting in many of her own blows, until Alala finally blocked one attempt with so much force that it nearly knocked the staff out of Donna’s hands. 

If that happened, she knew she it would all be over and she would lose the Doctor for what might as well be forever. 20 years was a very long time for him to be stuck here, and even if she could skip forward in time and rescue him, things would never be the same. He would be changed in a way that she wouldn’t be able to fix, and he might not even want her to stay with him anymore. It would be her fault for failing and causing his sentence to be doubled.

She allowed herself to be distracted by these thoughts, and it cost her. Alala brought her staff around and Donna was a second too late to keep it from hitting her right in the jaw. Pain reverberated through her skull and she could feel blood trickling from the side of her mouth where her lip had split.

And while that hard hit scared her, it also focused her again and made her even angrier. She renewed her efforts, as did Alala, both of them swinging their staffs with fury, determined to be the victor. Each of them made successful contact, and each was successful with blocking some of the hits as well, and it seemed like it could go on for quite a while in that way. But Donna knew that the sooner she could bring this to an end, the better. She thought about what she could do, and an idea occurred to her.

The next time that Alala swung her staff up high in an attempt to hit Donna’s jaw again, Donna dropped to her knees. The staff flew over her head, so close that she could feel it brush just above her hair as it passed, Alala turning with it when her staff wasn’t stopped by the solidness of a body. Donna had swung her own staff behind herself, then using all her momentum, she brought it back around and hit Alala squarely in the back of the knees, causing them to buckle. Alala’s staff fell out of her hands as she hit the ground hard and landed on her back.

Donna hopped back to her feet, planted her booted foot squarely on her opponent’s chest, and yelled as she swung her staff around and thrust it towards Alala’s throat, stopping only an inch away from her windpipe. Eyes blazing with fury and adrenaline, she ground out, “DO. YOU. YIELD?”

The Doctor had never before been afraid of Donna, but if he had been in Alala’s place, he knew that he would have been terrified. Donna was a terrible, majestic sight in the victory of battle. Silence fell over the hall for a few seconds, which had been noisy in the minutes before. The Doctor could have heard a pin drop, if only someone had dropped one at that moment. Then he heard, in a quiet but clear voice of defeat, the response from Alala: “I yield.”

Only then did Donna take her eyes away from the battle and look at Demeter briefly before bowing her head in a sign of respect fitting a victorious warrior. “Lift your head, brave lady,” said Demeter. “You have proven yourself worthy. Should you desire, I would happily welcome you into my service. I could place you into a battalion of my best fighters, or perhaps you would desire to be part of my advance guard. Name your wish.”

Donna looked at Demeter, still breathing heavily from the fight. She took a few breaths before responding, “I thank you for the honour, General, but I have commitments I must keep. It would not do for me to break my word. I wish only to take what is mine and return to my home.”

Demeter inclined her head, then nodded at the women who were guarding the Doctor. They brought him forward to Donna, who almost winced at the sight of the restraints that were cutting into his wrists by now. She managed to remain impassive as she said, “I should like his hands to be freed, as he is no use to me if his wrists are too painful for him to perform his duties. But you can leave the gag,” she finished, with a slight twinkle in her eyes as one guard worked on the wrist bindings.

“General Demeter, may I be so bold as to address you in private before we go?” asked Donna.

“You may,” said the general, beckoning Donna up the stairs and to a sectioned-off area near her throne. Two guards stood protectively near the entrance to keep an eye on Donna, but they were not near enough to hear her speak in the hushed tone she used.

“I have no wish to disrespect you in front of your people, and I have no doubt that you are a great leader. But I think it is appalling how you treat male beings on this planet. I don’t know what happened to bring the great Persephone society to such a place, but I know that this is not what your foremothers intended. I implore you to truly be the leader of all of your people, to see the value in not just the women but in the men, and to restore Persephone to its true greatness.”

Demeter was silent, and Donna wondered if she had just signed her own death warrant by speaking to the general so boldly.

Then Demeter spoke. “You are right, Donna of Chiswick. I have allowed the negative precedents that others have set to control my own actions, despite knowing our history and what we should be. Despite even my own conscience.” She looked thoughtful, then said, “But tell me - I do not believe that you waged such ferocious battle for a mere slave. Who is that man to you?”

Donna’s eyes softened as she thought about the Doctor. “He is no slave. He travels throughout the universe, saving people and entire planets and wading into battles that no one else would dare to face. He’s the bravest man I’ve ever known, and one of the kindest, too. As far as who is to me...he’s my mate,” she said simply, deciding to let Demeter misinterpret that if she chose. Although these days, she wasn’t sure it would actually be a misinterpretation. Her feelings for him had been changing, but she didn’t know if he’d ever want to be more than they were to one another already. Either way, he was a part of her heart, and she didn’t mind the general knowing so.

Demeter nodded, then said, “You have given me much to consider. You and your mate may leave. I promise that no one will harm you.”

Donna bowed her head to General Demeter once more, then turned and walked down the steps on shaky legs, keeping her eyes straight ahead. Although she knew that the general would keep her word, she still kept her eyes averted from the Doctor’s in order not to jeopardise his safety before they could escape. She didn’t know what laws she might violate otherwise, and she had no wish for another battle.

Donna picked up the shield she’d laid aside for the fight, then continued out of the hall as the Doctor followed several paces behind, playing his role. She didn’t think she could trust her trembling voice yet, so they set out for the TARDIS with just the sounds of the jungle to accompany them.

The Doctor was too shaken by what had just happened to mind the quiet or feel the need to talk just yet. He had been astounded to see what Donna was capable of. He had no idea she could do that. She had been stunning to see in action. He had seen the blood that was still trickling from her lip, and he knew by the way that Donna was walking that she was feeling pain throughout her body from the blows she’d taken, but she didn’t say a word about it. It made him furious to know that Alala had caused her to suffer so much, and that it was his fault, but he knew it was best to just keep going and get back to the TARDIS, where she could receive treatment that would make her as good as new.

After they’d walked for a few minutes in silence, Donna said, “You can probably take the gag off now, Doctor. I think we’re far enough away that you won’t be spotted by anyone, and the TARDIS isn’t too much further.” She stopped and turned to him as he glanced down at his hands as if surprised to remember that they were no longer bound.

The Doctor began to lift his hands up to untie the gag when he suddenly paused, wincing. 

“Oh, my poor Spaceman!” said Donna. “Let me do that.” She moved behind him and quickly untied the gag. She could see where he’d bled a bit on the back of his scalp where the guard had hit him, and it pained her. She gently stroked her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner, taking care to avoid the tender bump. Then she came back around in front of him and gently took his hands in hers so that she could examine his wrists. Her eyes hardened like steel when she saw the deep red grooves that the bindings had left behind. “I have half a mind to go back there and teach the Persephoneans a lesson about how to treat people,” she said, her nostrils flaring in anger.

The Doctor was touched by her fiercely protective response and by her willingness to place herself back into danger just to avenge their treatment of him. His eyes softened as he looked at his brave, beautiful companion. “Actually, I think you may have already done just that,” he said. “It wasn’t too long after this that General Demeter passed massive reforms of the laws governing Persephone, including elevating men’s status back to what it had been before the changes of decades before. She freed the slaves who hadn’t been convicted for violent crimes, making those who wanted to remain in service paid servants and improving their conditions, and even revised treatment of those who were still prisoners so that treatment of them was more humane. I always wondered what brought about such a drastic change. Now I guess I know,” he finished, smiling at Donna.

“Do you mean--are you telling me that I was the cause of all that?” asked Donna, stunned.

“Why are you so surprised, Earthgirl?” said the Doctor, his smile widening. “Don’t I keep telling you that you’re brilliant? Maybe you’ll start believing me someday.”

Donna looked away, blushing, then turned and started to walk once more in the direction of the TARDIS.

The Doctor knew that she was embarrassed by his praise and decided to distract her with a question. “And speaking of brilliant, where on earth did you learn to fight like that?”

“Where in space, you mean. Didn’t I tell you? I’ve been having the TARDIS put me through training simulations when you’ve been tinkering away on things and I didn’t feel like reading or watching a film.” She shrugged. “I thought it might come in handy to be able to defend myself sometimes. I never dreamed I’d be using it to win you back from a tribe of barbarian women.”

“I could have seen you choosing Krav Maga, or even Venusian Aikido. But the quarterstaff?! How did you decide to learn that?”

“Oh, I know those others, too. Just haven’t needed them yet. I don’t think you realize how much tinkering you do, Doctor. As for the quarterstaff, I saw it on the training menu and remembered that cartoon years ago with Daffy Duck using one. You know, ‘Ho! Parry! Dodge!’ It always made me giggle, and I was sure I *had* to be better than the duck, so I gave it a try, mostly for a laugh. Turns out I wasn’t half-bad.”

“Are you kidding, Donna?” exclaimed the Doctor. “You were brilliant! You looked absolutely ferocious in battle. Remind me never to make you angry again.”

Donna smiled indulgently at him. “Yeah, I’m sure that’ll last. Besides, I would never use my apparently impressive battle skills against you, Time Boy.”

The Doctor started to feel all mushy inside.

“It wouldn’t be a fair fight,” she finished.

“Hey!” he said, following her into the TARDIS, trying to think of a retort before he realised something. Donna was quite right. But recalling something she’d said in the throne room, he couldn’t resist saying, “You said I’m yours!”

“Shut up!” she returned.

They’d stopped in the console room, arguing for several minutes over who was going to be treated first, each one wanting to help the other. The Doctor finally made the point that Donna had more injuries than he did, and that she’d also had a blow to the head that was harder than the one he’d received. Donna gave in, reluctantly, and agreed to let the Doctor treat her first.

“What am I gonna do with you, Spaceman?” she sighed.

“I have some ideas,” answered the Doctor, lifting an eyebrow suggestively.

Donna laughed. “I think we’d better just focus on getting ourselves all better.” Then after a brief pause, “But maybe we can try out some of your ideas later on,” she said, smirking. “Medbay?”

She walked down the corridor with the Doctor close behind, his mind racing with possibilities and his body already feeling vastly better than it had just a few moments before.


End file.
